Top 10 Best Video Game Series

jefet21

The Top TenXW

1The Legend of Zelda

The series that revolutionized video games 25 years ago. Before Zelda, games were more about the arcade experience. Zelda changed that by immersing the player in a new world with a quest to complete and secrets to be find. It's kinda like playing an Elder Scrolls game for the first time, except you're back in the '80s and playing on the NES. It also revolutionized how a lot games play in 3 dimensions (like the targeting system, combat etc). And it still does today, like with one-to-one motion in Skyward Sword. This is also the one series that has never faltered in its 25+ years... Never! Even Mario has seen his slight dips (Gamecube era- Super Mario Sunshine). Every one of Zelda's games has met critical acclaim too. Ocarina of Time is the highest rated game on metacritic... Ever! And Four Swords Adventure is the lowest rated Zelda at 86%, and that's debatably the worst Zelda game (if you could even say there was a one). And that's out of 15+ games!

Well, I posted a few weeks ago, but today I decided that I should continue with my ranting. Last time, I elaborated on the graphics of this extraordinary series, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. This time I will dig in deeper, and look at the items, that set Zelda apart from other series.

If you look at other games of any genre, items are a huge part of the game. However, these crucial parts of the experience are not utilized to their fullest. In many major RPGs, for example, items and spells are used in exactly the same way, but with different stats the only thing separating them. In shooters, items are all a bit different, but all that they do is kill people in different ways.

In The Legend of Zelda, all of the items you find are unique. With a hookshot, you can swing to far away cliffs, and obtain far away items. With a bow, you can hit far-off targets, burn things, freeze things, and much more. Look up "Zelda Items" in a search engine, and you will ...more

All four corners of my heart lit when I saw The Legend of Zelda in first on this list. Then I looked down and saw 2 things. First thing, my shirt is way too small, and 2, people who play Call of Duty and think it's the best game ever are complete morons. And that's like saying that Hitler wasn't a very nice man. Absolute blasphemy.

So what is annoying me? Well, it's not that people say that it is good, because it is a quite addictive shooter, and is fun, if you like that sort of thing. However it's HOW they think it's good that makes me want to go all Fierce Deity on them. Take, for example, a good friend of mine, whose name I cannot utter here - For narrative and amusing purposes, I'm just going to call them Ped (o) 'arry (if you are reading, and you don't know that this is you, maybe a keyword might help*cough cough*Castlevania II with lyrics*cough*). Anyway, this highly irritating (and slightly camp) individual with whom I can relate to your secretary in New Leaf (for the ...more

The greatest game series in history, one I experienced continually from 1987 to now.

More than half of my top 10 games of all time are Mario, including all 3 of my top 3.

Platformers are just my thing so I have to pick this just because a lot of my favorite games are all Mario and enjoy replaying old classics or even the new ones much more then Call of Duty or halo

As much as I love Zelda, Pokemon, Smash Bros, Kirby, etc.. Mario will always be the best. Without Mario, 99% of the series in this list would not exist. Mario got me into video games in the first games in the first place and continues to keep me playing. He wears many hats, from plumber to doctor to olympian to referee to teacher. Although Zelda will have the top spot for some time, Mario, I think, will always be the more fun and diverse of the two.

Mario is AWESOME I don't get why most kids today that like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto and minecraft and all that crap I am a 2000s kid but I still love mario - Aidanisawesome

These games can be played over and over again. With new games coming out every so often, It's surprising that they remain as good as they were in the beginning. By the way, Persian is the best Pokemon ever. - izzychavez

This game should be in top 5, I mean anyone can just see the best selling game series of the time from any genuine source.

The story, setting and characters are so great that I can't even explain it. This series has the greatest story of all the video games there is, except Halo. I have the games in this series and I love every one of them. All of them have great endings. The multiplayer is not as good as the story but still its good.

They're all great AC1 was awesome AC2 was awesome Brotherhood and Revelations were great and AC3 is going to be the greatest game of 2012. I love the gaming aspect and storyline and how it blends together perfectly with historical people, places, and events.

By far one of the most unique big franchises out there. I can think of no one else who does what AC does; immerse you in a historical open world with the core gameplay consisting of sword fighting, stealth and parkour. And its surprising how well all of these elements work together.

Video games for me are about experiencing things that would be otherwise impossible in the real world. AC nails that for me. It allows me to explore cultures, cities and experience unique atmospheres that once did, but no longer exist. I can feel the great sense of freedom that I love as I fly across rooftops, admiring the beautiful city below and beyond. And I can solve problems and feel achievement through stealth, and find satisfaction and awesomeness through sword fighting, which I find to be far less monotonous than shooting.

I'm not interested in repetitive and aimless gunfights (granted, tactical shooters unlike Call of Duty can be very exciting), or doing nothing but watching ...more

Nintendo characters fighting against each other? It just can't get more awesome then that! - Blubbydubber1

This is one of the most entertaining games ever, it is the perfect game for you and your friends to play, there are is a good variety of characters to choose from, and really cool maps with their own setup. It really is an amazing franchise.

Of course! These games are the best.

I Like This Series But It Doesn't Deserve To Be In The Top Ten On This List - VideoGamefan5

Halo is a game series that is profoundly influential to modern FPS games. While Halo did give rise to Call of Duty in a way, I won't say Halo is bad. If FPS games were a crowd of people at a convention or a concert and there's one person in that crowd that stands out from everyone else in it, then it would be Halo. Unlike Battlefield, Call of Duty, and more that allow for weapons and vehicles that can have weapons like the UMP-45 or vehicles like the BM-21 in both game franchises, Halo has signature weaponry that are ONLY available in a Halo game. I don't think that I would go into a multiplayer game in Battlefield 4 or something like that and be killed by a guy that's holding a Battle Rifle or Fuel Rod Cannon and I don't think I'd die in a multiplayer match in Battlefield 3 by another player that splattered me with a Warthog or a Ghost. Battlefield and Call of Duty don't have fully consistent plots and Halo does, Battlefield 3's campaign won't have any relevance with Battlefield 4's ...more

Without halo there would be no call of duty, and halo pushes the boundaries every time it comes out with a new game, but then again, how much can you push the boundary when there's a new game every year

Zelda above this I get it. Zelda is just the wet dream of any gamer. But Mario, Grand Theft Auto, Pokemon? I mean yeah they are GREAT games but halo is fantastic, majestic, perfect,and every word that has a good connotation that exists. There was a time where I just wanted to go to my friends' house when I was in high school to play halo. I no longer cared of my friends, don't misunderstand me its not that I didn't care about them, but the game got me subconsciously in a way that I was totally hypnotized by it. I'm sure many can relate to what I'm saying. When halo 2 and 3 came those where some really crazy ass times. There will never be days as good as those and you know it. I think I even had dreams about halo back then, in some way, I still do.

Put it this way: When you've got a game series that gets things so right the first time that all you have to do to make a sequel is improve the graphics and update the game mechanics a little, you've got something special. Every Elder Scrolls game in the series has consistently trounced its competition to the point that the Elder Scrolls series has become the definitive RPG series of late. I'm surprised this isn't higher on the list!

When I first played Skyrim I thought wow this is big and for the next 40 hours of game time (so for me around 4 months as I don't have time to be a hardcore gamer despite my wishes) it just got bigger and that's when it started to get fun. This took up a year of my life and now I'm halfway through morrowind having finished oblivion, incredible.

This series is probably the best RPG open world games to ever existed my thanks to bethesda for giving us such great games and I can't wait to see what's next.

The elder scrolls is the most badass gaming series to be created ever. I think it should be somewhere near 3-5

The only reason why this isn't top 1 is because most voters here only played the newer game series. Call of duty, for example. They don't what the Metal Gear Series is capable of. Friends dying in front of you, crushed by a gigantic robot t-rex, an old friend battling cancer, a sister who died because of a vampire psychopath, a mentor got killed by her own student, a man-made spy that is near death because of rapid aging but still able to save the world and finally killed his own brother. Sometimes, it's not about the gameplay that makes a game better, but the drama-the storyline that can be talked about for almost forever.

Just the storyline alone should put this game in the top 3 or 4. It's my all-time personal favorite, so it would be my #1 choice. Hideo Kojima is an absolute genius and I solute him not only for making great games, but storylines and characters you can easily get emotionally attached to. His games are like movies. They keep me at the edge of my seat and keep me PRAYING that he'll make just one more. The replay value of these games is TREMENDOUS. They are always chalk full of Easter eggs and side stories. MGS revolutionized stealth gameplay and is in a league of its own. I believe that if anyone plays a game from this series, it will be in their top 5 favorites easily.

Never played anything quite like it. The stories are incredibly deep and touch upon a lot of issues that concern people all around the world and probably for all time, such as war, family, friendship, loyalty, grief, love, hate, courage, leaders and their symbols and what to pass on to future generations and which forces shape them. On top of that all games come with amazing gameplay that for the most part has aged well and gives you a lot of options and freedom (increasingly with each new game). Plus the games burst with life and character and have so many creative ideas that challange you even outside the confides of the video game world and there is such a huge attention to detail... I could go on forever. Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid is an almost flawless masterpiece and even the sometimes excessive cutscenes cannot temper with an experience, that overall has touched me more than any other video game.

I've been in tuned to Metal Gear since I was a kid. My absolute favorite game series. The story, gameplay and atmosphere are beyond recognition. A pure masterpiece.

Not only are the stories great, but the heroes, villains, and gameplay are too. Each game is different from the last in terms of environment and plot line, with the exception of X and XI, so everyone can find something they love about this amazing series.

The amazing stories and characters that have appeared in this series over the years need to be remembered. They are all part of the greatest video game series ever to appear in this world and Midgar.

Come on it's like the longest and best series ever I mean like seriously there's Final fantasy 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

The Newcomers

?Titanfall

?Bomberman

The Contenders

11Sonic

At least with Sonic his franchise does something new and inventive every time a game comes out, can't say much for the other game franchises. Sure some installments are bad and some are guilty pleasures. But I like Sonic the Hedgehog, I loved him as a kid, and I still love him now. No matter how good or bad his games are, he's still my favorite.

Okay, what is so good about Sonic, it's a terrible game series. There are so many flaws to it, and they try way too hard to be like Mario. And look at the ratings, they're terrible. Honestly, Sonic just plain sucks.

I hate sonic it sucks so hard, and it gave me nightmares for so long. Don't know what I mean. I mean things like Sonic exe. , tails doll, Fun is infinite and sonic batman. - DizzyKid117

This deserves to be number one, hands down. Nathan Drake gives us a swaggering, laid back protagonist that can crack small jokes to lighten the mood in any setting. This is a new perspective into the action-adventure genre that has the perfect balance between action sequences and heart wrenching parkour/survival parts that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Added on to this masterpiece are the puzzles left for you the gamer to solve. Choosing wrong will lead in failure, but when you figure it out, there is always more action to make up for all the time spent on figuring out the puzzle. Uncharted 3 gives us another point of view as the young Nathan Drake, starting his life of thievery. Seeing Nathan growing up gives us another reason to cheer him on. Uncharted 2 is incredible, with intense sequences of everything a gamer wants. They all come together in the Nathan Drake Collection, a jaw-dropping remastered edition of all the games in the series. Nathan Drake will most likely ...more

This game is much better than most games in the top ten Call of Duty deserves to be in the bottom 50. Yeah I know allot of people are going to say look at the sales and pre-order numbers. There only really high because allot of gamer's are really stupid in the games they buy they love nothing more than a non-original story, gameplay that isn't evolving, multiplayer that's the same every year and developers and publishers that only give a crap about the money. These facts are undeniably true and some gamers can't take the the time to appreciate the love and care put into games like the story in mass effect, the adventure in skyrim, the combat depth in god of war and the explosive action in uncharted. Basiclly what I'm saying is that gamers these days are becoming so 1 dimensional and that they need to expand there horizon of games they play.

Anyone who loves slaying a huge numbers of bad guys, hanging over ledges and some parkour, going on an adventure to find an ancient relic or a lost city and doesn't like dialogues with M rated words, then this is the game series for you! Filled with cinematic cutscenes, long story line, decent AI and interesting characters, this PlayStation exclusive has never failed to disappoint and I personally think every gamer, casual or hardcore, should try one of this. But this game isn't really much in the multiplayer category.

Should be number one. Only game series to make me cry when it ended. Nathan drake is now a video game legend. Alongside Mario and link

This game series defined my childhood. Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, Other M, and Metroid Prime were complete masterpieces. The only game that wasn't truly captivating and incredible was Metroid Prime Pinball, but come on. It's a pinball game. I easily rank this as my personal number 1.

Metroid is one of the greatest game franchises EVER. Why isn't it among the top ten? It's a mystery. Who wouldn't like traveling the cosmos in great adventures, exterminating dangerous species, fighting evil and putting end to wars in a way few have rivaled. All the games are thrilling from the start as soon as you land on the surface of a planet/station. "Good luck with the adventures! Explore the way urself!

How is this below Sonic? Sonic sucks.

My second favorite game series, after the Zelda series. It's another game series I've enjoyed continually since 1987.

Truly the best game series I have ever played (with maybe the elder scrolls in contention). The story is fantastic, throwing you into the mix of aliens, planets, new governments, and a whole universe. With all this you still feel like you belong and you knowing exactly what is happening without any seamless effort is a great achievement in gaming.

Also the choice that is on offer was tremendous and thought provoking and really made the game you were playing was unique to you. And the true brilliance is that every decision was carried on through the series.

The tactics and gameplay of the game were excellent and really refreshing from the bog standard of Call of Duty.

I for one did not mind the ending after they changed it, and found that it was a good way to end the game and my commander Shepard story.

All in all I think that this game serious should really be at the top or close to it, and far higher then just number 10.

Forget what people say about the conclusion of the series. Even that ending cannot diminish the epic and brilliant journey that was Mass Effect 1-3. From the humble beginnings as a rogue spectre to the final defense against the greatest threat to the galaxy; this game series is a masterpiece. So much detail was put into this series. Exceptionally well written characters, exciting combat, irresistible dialogue, and of course, decisions that matter. No game series has been ever been this personal to the player. It is a choose your own adventure that carries over throughout 3 phenomenal games each lasting over 25 hours.

No other game made gives you the enthralling story and characters as the mass effect series and no other game gives you the massive amounts of choice as this series and the fact that your choices some of them life and death carry over into the other games and that you can upload a character so the one from the last game can literally be the same you played from the first is unheard of this is an absolute masterpiece of a series

Mass effect is the best due to the movie like role & control it gives the player.

such a low place? why? this franchise is awesome and very very entertaining. The story is interesting, all the characters are superb and they kick ass - Magnolia

The Mortal Kombat games are EXCELLENT I can't'T believe it's not in the top 10. Twenty at least! It has a complex story line for each individual character. Amazing graphics (once you get to the newer releases) and and all time classic.

What?! The Assassin's Creed series on the 5th spot and Arkham series on the 20th spot? It's so wrong!

Ah it's all been said already... This series started out as what some would call a fluke. It was a combination that most people would never had guessed could work. On one hand, Final Fantasy, a game that focuses on telling intricate and (sometimes) messed up stories (FFVII). On the other hand, the Disney series, a happy go lucky series of feel-good movies that are aimed at kids. It should have been a boring game... But it wasn't.

With each game polishing the fighting style more and more, one of the game's strongest point, the gameplay appeals to button mashers as well as tacticians. The game features an intricate story that spans over many games, each game giving away only a piece of the puzzle, making for one of the longest and most immersive stories ever told in a game.

And not to forget all the Disney worlds that the game offers, each reliving the old movies in a nostalgic way, coupling it with a more mature story. And while the game does not have very realistic ...more

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES! This game has GREAT graphics that are so fun to look at! In the first game it may have seemed to be meant for children but this has evolved into 100 TIMES better story then Call Of Duty and Halo! This game is awesome! The game play is SO SO SO COOL! AND KINGDOM HEARTS 3 IS COMMING IN DECEMBER ON THE PS4!

Great game series, one of the best. This series isn't recognized enough and is so underrated. And just because there are Disney characters, it doesn't make the game series bad. If you actually puck the one the best games of the series, you'll actually see how good of a series it is.

I cannot believe this is at 79. In my opinion, Call of Duty is not very fun. It's repetitive and boring. The point of a video game is to make the player feel like they are in a non-reality world and Kirby does a fine job of that. No offense, but I am simply disgusted. I know that this website is opinion based, but at least try to be non-bias. Just saying'.

Portal is just a very fun game to play, and it is even better, when you think of the PAINS the creators went to. Just making you walk through an upside-down portal takes a crap ton of coding. THEY DO WHAT THE MUST BECAUSE THEY CAN

Portal is one of the most innovative games of the past ten years, and, unlike Call of Duty, requires you to think. Not to mention the amazing humor.

It may be short, but it's originality and humour not only make up for it, but allows it to surpass most over games out there

Surprised this one isn't higher up on the list. Fallout 3 and New Vegas, especially, have been wildly popular. These games have it all: great stories, character customization, play style choices, high production values, atmospherics, exciting combat, soundtrack, mod-ability. What's there not to like?

Its got an awesome back story and you can kill people and other things

Complete freedom to do what you want and appeals more to myself due to the more realistic setting compared to the fantasy of Elder Scrolls series. Also love the way the series ties into all the previous titles (barring the non-canon Tactics).